Since 2008, she has found much success as an emerita at the University of California (UC) in Santa Barbara.
SAN MATEO, CA, May 10, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Helen Greenwood Hansma, PhD, has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Drawing on over four decades of expertise, Dr. Hansma specializes in biophysics research, most recently in the possible origin of life between mica sheets. Since 2008, she has found much success as an emerita at the University of California (UC) in Santa Barbara, where she served as a research biophysicist and an adjunct professor of biophysics from 1995 until 2008. During this time, Dr. Hansma was also active as a rotating program director at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia from 2004 until 2008.
In 1975, Dr. Hansma initially began her vocation at the University of California in Santa Barbara, where she excelled in a variety of roles, including as a postdoctoral associate, an assistant research biologist and an associate research biologist. In her career-related endeavors, she has been published over 100 times and has participated in many conferences. Dr. Hansma believes that the types of energy used in living cells can provide clues to help society understand the origins of life. In her recent research, she explores how mechanical energy could have driven the processes that gave rise to early life in the absence of chemical energy.
Prior to embarking on her professional journey, Dr. Hansma received her B.A. at Earlham College in Chemistry and then continued her education at the University of California in Berkeley, where she obtained her master's degree in Biochemistry. She continued her academic efforts at UC Santa Barbara, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in 1974 in Biological Sciences. As a commitment to her field, she is a member of several organizations, including the Association for Women in Science, the American Association for the Advancement in Science, the American Physical Society, the Biophysical Society and the American Society for Cell Biology. Likewise dedicated to civic advocacy, Dr. Hansma has volunteered at the Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, and other organizations.
Well-regarded for her contributions to the field, Dr. Hansma was included in Marquis Who's Who in the West publication in 1995 and received an Outstanding Alumni Award from Earlham College in 2013. Among her professional accomplishments, she is most proud of the press release that UC Santa Barbara did on her research paper, "DNA and the Origins of Life in Micaceous Clay," which was published in the Biophysical Journal in 2022. Reflecting on a long career, she attributes much of her success to human heredity and biophysical environment. Looking toward the future, Dr. Hansma aspires to continually engage in professional collaborations and hopes to inspire future biophysicists to further research the idea of life between mica sheets, which are held together by potassium ions, present at high concentrations in all types of living cells.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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